


Father and Son

by DawnsEternalLight



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics)
Genre: Bonding, Bruce and Damian being the cutest father and son ever, Father Son Bonding, Father and Son, Gen, Nightmare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 13:55:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7174535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnsEternalLight/pseuds/DawnsEternalLight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce decides to check on Damian before heading to bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Father and Son

Bruce eased Damian’s door open hoping to quickly check on him before heading off to bed himself. Patrol had gone long and he wanted to make sure his youngest was properly tucked in, and not sprawled out, half-dressed on top of his bed like Bruce had found him more than once after a hard night.

The quietest of sobs filtered out from the crack in the door making Bruce pause, he wasn’t sure if Damian was having a nightmare or crying. One would be easier to take care of than the other, he could only imagine the fury he’d receive if he walked in on his son crying, even so he had to go in.

Years of being Batman meant that his steps were silent as he crept over to Damian’s bed, the sobs while still quiet, were louder now that Bruce was closer to him. In the moonlight he could see that Damian was curled in a ball, one hand clutching at his chest, with his eyes pressed closed in an attempt to ward off whatever had frightened him.

“Damian,” Bruce placed a light hand on his shoulder. His son’s eyes flew open and locked on him, terror evident in his gaze. He threw himself back, almost toppling from the bed, with a shout of surprise.

In one motion Bruce sat on the edge of Damian’s bed and pulled the boy into his arms, “It’s ok, it’s just me, it’s your father.”

Damian sat ramrod straight for a moment before melting into the hug, both hands gripping Bruce’s shirt like it was a lifeline, his shoulders shook, and his breath hiccupped in and out.

“You want tell me what happened?”

Damian didn’t answer him for a few moments, before murmuring, “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

Damian turned his face up to glare at him, and Bruce sighed, “Alright then,” he scooped Damian up and stood.

Damian squirmed in his arms, “Father, what _are_ you doing?”

“I’m taking you to bed.”

“I was just in bed.”

“Not that bed.”

Damian stilled at this and he let himself be carried. As he walked Bruce couldn’t help but note the slight tremble in his son’s limbs and the stiffness with which he rested in his arms.

“Did you know that when he was younger Dick used to leave his bed all the time to sleep with me?” Bruce asked, hoping to distract Damian from whatever had been troubling him.

When he received no response he went on, “The first time he did it I didn’t even know he was there until the morning. He hadn’t wanted to wake me up, so he’d just snuggled up next to me.”

“What happened the next morning?”

“I was still half asleep and almost jumped out of the bed. Dick scrambled back so fast he ended up falling off the bed into the most ungraceful heap of blankets and youth I’d ever seen,” Bruce smiled at the memory.

Damian snorted, “I would have liked to have seen that. It’s not often either of you are caught unaware.”

“You’d be surprised. Back then I was still getting used to having someone else in the house, and Dick was always doing something that surprised me.”

“Do I ever surprise you, Father?”

“Every day.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”

Bruce chuckled, “It is, most of the time.”

He’d reached his room and adjusted his hold on Damian so that he could open the door. Once inside he threw back the sheets on his bed and went to lay Damian down, but here it seemed he’d gone too far as Damian, realizing what was about to happen, began to push again at his father’s chest.

“Put me down. I’m not a child that needs to be tucked in.”

In a burst of wicked inspiration Bruce grinned, “Ok,” he said before he released his hold on Damian, allowing his son to drop with a surprised yelp, back-first, onto the bed. His surprise lasted only a moment before he recovered himself enough to cross his arms and glare up at Bruce.

Bruce raised an eyebrow and gave his son a half smile that caused Damian to frown and turn away from him, choosing to focus on finding a more comfortable spot on the bed. Once Bruce was sure Damian wasn’t going to try and slip out of the room when his back was turned he clicked off the light and laid down next to him.

The two lay there, close but not touching, for a few moments before, “Father, why did Grayson come to sleep with you that night?”

“What? Oh, he’d had a nightmare about the death of his parents.”

Damian was silent again after that and Bruce was sure he’d had more he wanted to say, but couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“It’s ok to talk about your nightmares, it doesn’t make them real,” it was something Alfred had told him growing up whenever he’d woken up from nightmares and had refused to share them.

“This one _was_.”

He’d been afraid that would be Damian’s answer. The fear on his son’s face when he’d woken him had been too raw, too real, not to have something to do with a dream based in reality. The way Damian had flung himself away from Bruce gave him enough ideas on what event Damian had been dreaming of.

Bruce rolled over, and pulled Damian close to him, “I know, I’m sorry.”

“-s not your fault,” Damian said curling into him, “Part of it was different anyway.”

“How so?”

Damian froze, then his hand went back to Bruce’s shirt, gripping it, “You were there, y-you watched me die, and then you-” he stopped, pressing his face into Bruce’s chest, “you-” but he couldn’t get the words out.

Bruce ran a hand through Damian’s hair, “It’s alright, I’m here now, and we’re both fine.”

“Father?”

“Yes, Damian?”

“Thank you.”

Bruce smiled and tugged Damian that much closer to him, “Your welcome.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm 100% sure something like this has been written before but once a plot bunny has invaded it doesn't go away until it's written and you guys get to enjoy the results. :)
> 
> Edit: I posted this story at an unnatural hour and forgot the first two paragraphs (don't ask me how I missed copy & pasting those I don't know). They are added now, please forgive this poor knuckleheaded writer and enjoy the fic in its entirety.


End file.
